Economy Plus Coach? Not so much!

More airlines are changing their coach class cabins to include an “economy plus” section of the cabin, usually the first rows of coach to the exit seats. Customers pay extra to sit in these seats, or use their preferred status to obtain an “economy plus” seat at booking. Some airlines like JetBlue and United offer more leg room in these seats, while other airlines like the now merged Northwest – Delta don’t offer anything extra in these seats (which I don’t understand). I take advantage of these ...

“economy plus” seats when possible, but I take issue with how they board customers in these seats (I am talking about JetBlue to be specific).

Many airlines board coach from the rear of the aircraft, forward. This means that people who purchased the cheap seats (in theory) board first, while those who purchased an “economy plus” seat board last (since those seats are towards the front). This becomes a problem with overhead luggage space. We all know that many people will push to the maximum what they can bring on board to avoid luggage fees or having to wait for their luggage. What ends up happening (this almost did to me on JetBlue) is that when they board “economy plus” the majority of the overhead luggage space has been taken.

I think this is absurd, if you paid a premium to sit in “economy plus” then you should at least be guaranteed overhead luggage space as they do in First Class. This problem, absent of changing the boarding procedure, can be avoided by having the forward coach cabin bins closed until they start boarding “economy plus”. Otherwise you are allowing people who (in theory) paid less for a coach ticket cause those that paid more to have to check their luggage at the gate.

If you have never been in this situation, this may sound petty to you. But for those of us that travel a lot, this can become an issue. We all want to get what we have paid for! What do you think? Should airlines that charge a premium for “economy plus” allow regular coach passengers to hog the overhead bins? I think not! Leave a comment with your thoughts.

PS - ALWAYS consult Seat Guru before selecting your seat, if you are unfamiliar with the plane!

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